This Christ-centered blog is designed to serve stroke survivors, families and friends, through sharing experience and faith. My own stroke came on May 8, 1998. God provided medical professionals, friends, fellow believers, and strength to get me through some struggling recovery times.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

When the words don't come...

Ever struggle for the right word?

For most people, that happens from time to time. But for some stroke survivors, that struggle happens every day. The next few blog entries will include some resources about stroke-related aphasia - problems that arise when your someone's speech is affected.

There are many ways a stroke can affect a person’s ability to speak. Symptoms are typically related to the specific area of the brain affected, as language function in the brain is localized inside highly specialized areas such as Broca’s, Wernicke’s, and other areas.

In my case, I couldn't say a word initially, and hours later, was able to struggle some words. Not all of them made sense. Some were the wrong word. Others just gibberish. And not only speech, but reading and writing were affected as well.

Talk about frustration. I was writing for a living, based on questions I posed and answers I wrote down. That was all suddenly taken away.

Not only frustrating, but incredibly frightening.

I slowly regained reading and writing skills. But still, I wonder when I stumble in speech: Would it have happened if my stroke had never happened?

To get more information about aphasia, read the link above and the previous postings covering aphasia or speech. Then check back for more entries during the next few weeks.

Note to readers

This blog stands for faith in God and better stroke awareness. Everyone should be aware of stroke signs and know what to do. The life you save may be your own. Toward that end, stroke survivors and families are invited to share comments or stories. This is not designed to give anyone medical advice - we might talk about stroke care in general but always, always seek appropriate medical advice.

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